Tuesday, December 10, 2013

career goals

I personally have never worked for someone who was interested in helping me obtain my career goals. In fact I've never even worked for someone who asked me what my career goals are and how they can help me achieve them. I don't know if my directors have always seen me as such a strong teacher that they didn't want to take me out of the classroom or they just didn't care. I did work for someone who I think would have if I hadn't left the center after a year to go put myself through school. This director is the only one I've ever worked for that I ever felt cared about me with any sincerity. My family also doesn't understand my frustration with what I do. They see it as I've found something I'm good at and I shouldn't complain.

I recently found an article though that explains to both, my frustrations about working in child care. There is an article titled When Compliments Fail to Flatter: American Individualism and Responses to Positive Stereotypes. It was written by John Oliver Siy and Sapna Cheryan. It discusses how a positive stereotype can seem negative because a judgment is being made on group membership rather than on an individuals traits and attributes. This made complete sense to me because what I've wanted for years is for someone to realize that I bring something to the field that others don't and place me in a position where I can use the traits and attributes I have and bring them to the field and help make the center I work at better. I have skills that others don't and where most people in the corporate world would get a promotion for such skills etc. the field of child care doesn't do it. I've only seen a person promoted once in the ten years that I've worked in the field.

Even though people tell me I'm good at my job and what I do and tell me that I'm good with children, my being good at my job has never gotten me earning over the poverty level or an administrator to take an interest in me and help me advance my career. It has never gotten me promoted or taken under administrations wing and taught how to be better and given the opportunity to learn how to make that next step in my career. If you work in any field but particularly the child care field and if you are administration to any company I recommend this article. You may see your employees differently and be in a better place to help them reach their career goals.